Description

This session considers what it means to be good ancestors now in relation to our magnificent but imperiled Great Salt Lake.

Mormon immigrants spent 175 years re-routing and engineering Wasatch and Uinta Range waters to make the Great Basin temporarily blossom as the rose. Now LDS people need to become makers of new water—collaborators rather than litigators—with other states, communities, and Mexico to repair watersheds, estuaries, and the damage caused to the Great Salt Lake in our pioneering zeal.

Our own great-great grandchildren (and theirs) are depending on us to be responsible ancestors acting with stewardship values now, making the new water that will restore the Great Basin’s air conditioner (the Great Salt Lake) and keep the western states habitable.

Until his retirement in 2022, Bob Rees was Visiting Professor and Director of Latter-day Saint Studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He has also taught at UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley. Bob’s most recent publications are: Imagining and Reimagining the Restoration(2025) and Making Space for Mormon Thought ad Culture: The Enduring Influence of Eugene England (2025). Currently he is co-editing a collection of essays titled “Pillars of My Faith” and a collection of poems about Joseph Smith. He is also the co-founder of two non-profits—The Bountiful Children’s Foundation and FastForward for the Planet.

Dr. Harvey recently pivoted his science and engineering career from nanotechnology to water, intending to use his innovative vision (29 patents issued, four pending) to do something meaningful with his life to benefit following generations. Currently, his focus is on two primary efforts, both represented in this conference–redeeming and beautifying Zion. He seeks collaborative efforts with like minded individuals. He and his wife of forty years (Kristine Maryon) are the parents of four and grandparents of three. Ian spends weekends supporting his parents and siblings on their 150-head Wyoming beef cattle ranch. see www.GreatSaltRiver.org Contact at linkedin.com/in/ianrharvey/